Kia Ora – Clean Boots Please

This long flight made me kind of airplain-sick and I’m tired, but happy! The flight from Frankfurt via Dubai (modern airport with free hot showers, so make sure that you have a towel in your hand-luggage) and Melbourne to Auckland was a torture, although everything worked out very well. I was not able to really sleep during any of the three flights. The service with Emirates is so great that you will be served nonstop. Dinner, snacks, breakfast, drinks, fruits,…no duty free promos through, which is great. I missed two nights basically and after 35 hours of traveling in airplanes with air-condition I’m just exhausted.

Departure in Dubai / Abflug in Dubai

Nevertheless the Kiwis (that’s how people from New Zealand call themselves) are so friendly that I even accepted the security check with patience. I got the work visa without any questions. What was really important for the officer was to clean my hiking boots. If you still have energy left after all this you can take a public bus, like I did, and drive downtown in about 45 Minutes for 16 Dollars. I stay at the Oaklands Lodge for the first few days. That’s a hostel with a great atmosphere in the Mount Eden neighborhood – you really feel like home right away. I took a short nap and somehow made it up to Mount Eden for a great walk in the afternoon. Everything is blossoming right now and I think I saw something like a “Wellensettich” – it was a colorful bird for sure. This city is geographically blessed. You have the ocean, the islands, the beaches, the green hills and a perfect skyline. Let me tell you: It’s so great to be here finally.

View from Mount Eden / Ausblick vom Mount Eden auf Auckland

I slept like a stone during the first night. Today I applied for a social insurance number and spent the rest of the day on the beach in Takapuna. Downtown is very modern with a lot of fancy shops, but I haven’t found the nicest spots jet. What really impresses me is the friendliness. You wanna here some examples?! Well, some of the bus drivers are saying good bye to almost every client and the clients would shout “Thank you driver”. I asked I young woman where I may find a supermarket and she said she has no idea, but we could ask her friend in the car. Later on she introduced me to her friend and the two girls tried to grave me a ride (circles). It turned out that they don’t really know the neighborhood and we where not able to find a supermarket, but we had a great chat anyway. I decided to relax and brought my dinner in a little expensive shop around the corner. I will search a supermarket tomorrow – with your kind help my dearest Kiwis!